A Separate Peace

By: John Knowles

Narrated by: Matthew Modine

Gene was a lonely, introverted intellectual. Phineas was a handsome, taunting, daredevil athlete. What happened between them at school one summer during the early years of World War II is the subject of A Separate Peace. A great bestseller for over thirty years--one of the most starkly moving parables ever written of the dark forces that brood over the tortured world of adolescence.©1987 John Knowles;©1987 Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, A Division of Random House Inc.

Critic reviews

"I think it is the best-written, best-designed and most moving novel I have read in many years. Beginning with a tiny incident among ordinary boys, it ends by being as deep and as big as evil itself." -- Aubrey Menen

"A quietly vital and cleanly written novel that moves, page by page, towards a most interesting target." -- Truman Capote

"Is he the successor to Salinger for whom we have been waiting so long? -- Encounter.

"A masterpiece." -- National Review.

Classic Novel that is Well Read

This is a classic novel that is well narrated. I haven't read the full novel so not sure how good or bad it was abridged. Not having this knowledge, this version is well worth the time.

A Great Story Spoiled

John Knowles' coming-of-age introspective is a well written tale that captures the turbulence, excitement and controversy of America's role in World War II, especially from the perspective of draft age young men. It also reveals the very personal interaction and peer rivalries of this group of elite boarding school boys.

Unfortunately, this classic has been undermined by the excessive use of unnecessary sound effects and distracting long musical interludes. Matthew Modine has turned in memorable performances as a movie actor, but his dull uninspired recitation of this story is like a summer camp letter to his mom. His monotone reading is only sparked when he stumbles over new parts of the story that he apparently had never read before undertaking this project.

The random music is jaring

Overall story is good. Recording quality is staticy. Then there's really jaring music that detracts from the reading and makes it hard to focus on the story. Not my favorite audio book reading. The narrator's voice was decent. But sometimes the accents were so muddled I couldn't tell who was talking.

Story itself is interesting. I can see why it's a classic. Glad I got the abridged version the full length one might be painful to muddle through.

Boring but had some plot twists

The narrator was very clear and crisp. One problem I had was knowing who was talking by the similar voices

too short

Text does not compare to unabridged version. Rich language and character development are lost. Editors choice of cuts are curious.